1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processing food and beverages, and more particularly to an apparatus and method capable of modifying at least one organoleptic property of a food or beverage by controlled exposure to light from an artificial light-source at energy densities on the order of 10 kilojoules/liter and at peak wavelengths longer than 350 nanometers.
2. Prior Art
Ultraviolet (UV) light is a form of electromagnetic energy that contains measurable wavelengths in the four nanometer to 400 nanometer range. Germicidal Ultraviolet (germicidal UVC) light is a subset of ultraviolet light (UV) and is a well-known sterilization agent. The use of germicidal UVC light for germicidal, bactericidal and pathogenicidal effects is well known. Suitable wavelengths for these effects is 300-200 nanometers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,369 issued to Belilos (Aug. 28, 1990), describes a portable, pocket-size, germicidal ultraviolet flashlight that can be used by ordinary individuals to kill germs and viruses on objects like toilet seats, flatware, and telephones. The “UVC flashlight” includes a housing, a germicidal UVC light source, a battery compartment, an on/off switch, and a gravity switch that limits the activation of the ultraviolet light source to the position wherein the light source is facing downward. By limiting the activation of the germicidal UVC source to while the device faces downward the device sought to reduce harm to eyes. The germicidal UVC lamp utilized by Belilos can be any type of light source generating germicidal UVC light in sufficient intensity to disinfect objects at relatively short distances. Col. 2, lines 6-9.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,075 issued to Whitehead (Jul. 6, 1999), discloses a hand-held “Ultraviolet sterilization device” “wherein said ultraviolet light source operates in a wavelength spectra effective to have germicidal, bactericidal, and pathogenicidal effects.”
Nothing in Belilos nor Whitehead teaches or suggests employing in their devices an ultraviolet lamp having peak wavelengths longer than 300 nanometers, at least because such ultraviolet light is not optimal for the purpose of effecting sterilization. Other UVC-sterilization apparatus are known to have interior chambers configured to contain an instrument, a vessel, gases, or other objects to be sterilized by exposure to germicidal UVC light and to prevent the escape of the germicidal UVC light into the room. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,289 issued to Shodeen et al. (Aug. 29, 1995), describes a pass-through sterilization chamber where items are placed in the sterilization chamber and subjected to germicidal UVC light. Typically, such sterilization devices employed mercury vapor lamps having a peak wavelength of 254 nm. Nothing this art teaches nor suggests employing in such devices an ultraviolet lamp having a peak wavelengths longer than 300 nanometers and having no peak wavelengths shorter than 300 nanometers, at least because ultraviolet light longer than 300 nanometers is not optimal for the purpose of effecting sterilization. Recently, “deep UV” LEDs have been developed that output peak wavelengths shorter than 350 nm, and even as low as about 234 nm to 264 nm, and these germicidal UV LEDs are being widely substituted by persons skilled in the art in place of the conventional germicidal UVC florescent tubes formerly employed in UV sterilization devices of the prior art. Semiconductor-Today, Vol 5. Issue 3, April/May 2010. See, also “Novel sterilization device using 265 nm UV-LED for Escherichia coli”, by Miku Maeda et als, teaching the use of 9 series-connected 265 nm germicidal UV-LEDs (Part Nos. T9H26/T9L26 manufactured by Seoul Optodevice), to sterilize food and/or water containing E. coli bacterium, by the application of 0.5 Joules of 265 nm germicidal UVC light.
A combination of one or more food and/or beverages is herein referred to as “Foodstuff”. A Foodstuff whose organoleptic properties are substantially modified in response to irradiation from a light-source is referred to herein as a light-sensitive Foodstuff (herein referred to as “LS-Foodstuff”). An LS-Foodstuff is comprising a combination of one or more Foodstuff types including, but not limited to, red wine, wine, fruit, fruit juice, fruit paste, vegetable, vegetable juice, vegetable paste, beer, coffee, natural flavorings, artificial flavorings, malt liquor, and liquor.
The typical conditions under which a Foodstuff is consumed involves subjective choices dependent on individual consumer preferences. Foodstuff processing is performed by operators of Foodstuff processing equipment to produce modified Foodstuffs that meet the preferred conditions for consumption which are combinations one one or more Foodstuff processing techniques including, physically manipulating, aggregating, separating, combining, heating, cooling, magnetic flux exposure, fermentation, pressurizing, vacuum exposure, aging, and cooking. There are a variety of previously known wine processing means and methods.
A wide variation of red wine types are consumed based on consumer preferences. A consumer develops preferences over time and each additional experience in general tends to increase the consumers knowledge and refinement of preferences. Some consumer's develop new preferences or refine previous preferences with each bottle of wine in the consumers aggregate experience. Some consumers prefer to consume certain red wines without any additional processing after opening a package. Some other consumers prefer to process red wines with a combination of one or more known processes including, aging, pressurizing, breathing, aerating, flavoring, magnetic flux exposure, heating, cooling, and mixing with additional ingredients. Some consumers dislike red wine and avoid consuming red wine because they are unaware of any process that would change the red wine to an appealing condition.
Examples of mixing red wines with other substances include, adding red wine to a sauce for a cooked food, and mixing red wine with fruit juices for a customized beverage. The process of heating red wine is common in colder climates. The process of cooling red wine is common at various stages of red wine manufacturing, bottling, and aging. Cooling red wine is less common immediately prior to consumption.
Typically, wine is prepared by a winery and then it is poured into a package for a period of storage until consumption at a later date. A wine bottler chooses a particular package for a plurality of purposes, including, reduce spoiling during the period of storage. The typical period of storage ranges from a few minutes to many years. The longer the period of storage the higher the probability that the wine will undergo a change of organoleptic properties. Wine aging is a well-known wine processing technique, which tends to have an optimal range. A wine aged too long tends to become spoiled eventually.
There are many package types that a wine is packaged in. Typical package types include, a glass bottle with a leek-proof cork, and a box with a leak-proof liner. Typical wine bottles are partially translucent with characteristic spectral transmittance. The wine bottle transmittance typically varies of over the surface of the bottle depending on variations of glass thickness, composition, and labeling characteristics. Typical wine bottles have labels, for identification, which tend to substantially block light transmission. Typical wine bottle labels cover only a fraction of the bottle, so that the consumer has a visual indication of the quantity of wine in the bottle. Very few wine bottles have a surface totally covered by a label. Typical wine bottle labels have various compositions and substantially block light transmission. A wine bottle glass color is characterized by the wine bottle glass spectral transmittance properties of white light. Common wine bottle colors are green, brown, and/or clear. Typical green wine bottle glass tends to transmit more green, violet, and UVA1 (herein defined as light with a wavelength between three-hundred-forty nanometers and four-hundred nanometers) and less red and blue. Typical brown wine bottle glass tends to transmit substantially no UVA1, no blue, almost no green, and about the same amount of red that green wine bottle glass passes. Box type wine packages allow substantially no light transmission. It is known that unintended, or otherwise uncontrolled, light exposure tends to have a detrimental effect upon Foodstuff. A vintner commonly chooses a colored bottle to limit the unintentional light exposure. However, the vintner's choice of a colored bottled does not predict the present inventions use of light of a specific spectral radiance to be used to process wine prior to consumption. The process by which wine is degraded by light exposure is known as “light-strike” and/or “light-struck wine”. The light-struck wine condition tends to affect white wines and rosé wines more than red wines. Molecules, such as tannins, that reduce the effect of light-strike are found in higher concentrations in red wine than in white or roséwines.
Wineries typically prepare the package with a small amount of air, known as the “ullage”, in the package compared to the volume of wine. In some instances the wine packaging procedure purposefully leaves a small quantity of air in the package affects the change of wine organoleptic properties in a predictable manner. The air bottled with the wine in the package is not associated with the wine processing method known as “breathing”, which occurs after the wine package is opened. Some wine is packaged without air including, boxed wines, which typically have a flexible bladder that collapses gradually as wine is gradually released without letting air into the bladder.
Breathing refers to a wine processing technique whereby wine is exposed to air in an open package, or decanted for a period of time prior to consumption. Wine breathing is less common for white wines and rosé wines. Wine aeration is similar to breathing and involves accelerating the exposure of wine to air by various techniques which typically involves increasing the surface area of the liquid wine to air interface. Historically, the breathing of wine has been recommended by vintners for wine types including, but not limited to, red wines, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. There is no absolute wine breathing duration. Wine breathing is intended to have a duration that meets the consumer's preference. The technique of breathing a wine is an art learned typically by trial-and-error. Wine breathing often involves the consumer tasting a small sample of the wine undergoing the breathing process to determine when the wine is ready for consumption. A consumer typically samples the wine after an initial duration to determine if the wine requires further breathing; the determination is a subjective decision based on the consumer preferences. It is common for a bottle of red wine to be opened and allowed to breathe for a pre-determined period of time before the wine is consumed when a consumer has previous experience breathing a wine of the same or similar type, or when a trusted wine breathing recommendation is available. Some vintners suggest opening the wine and allow the wine to breathe a couple of hours prior to consumption for best flavor.
A problem exists when the wine consumer does not have enough time to allow a wine to breathe for the recommended or otherwise preferred time. For example, when a vintner recommends that the wine be allowed to breathe for three hours prior to consumption and the consumers only have fifteen minutes, then the wine will not be at the desired condition for optimal flavor. In many circumstances it is not possible to allow a wine to breathe for the recommended time prior to consumption. For example, at a restaurant the patrons may order a bottle of Merlot but do not want to wait the recommended time for the wine to breathe. This example represents a problem from the consumer's perspective in that the dinner will end before the wine, intended to be consumed with a meal, has had a chance to complete the preferred breathing time. Unfortunately, a wine may be consumed with sub-optimal organoleptic properties because of the lack of time needed for optimal wine breathing. In other unfortunate circumstances an air-sensitive wine is ruined by overexposure to air. Air-sensitive wines are typically old wines, and are typically not recommended to breathe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,129 to Bartholemew, U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,452 to Barzs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,724 to Vassallo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,912 to Wildash, U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,104 to Delaplaine, U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,706 to Hall, U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,163 to Weatheril, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,299,743 to Moore describe aeration techniques used to modify the flavor of a wine; but do not describe the use of a light-source to modify the flavor of a wine. However, the aeration technique is limited to an opened bottle of wine, whereas photonic processing of wine can occur in either an open or an unopened bottle of wine. Therefore photonic wine processing overcomes the open bottle limitation of the aeration technique. While the aeration technique may reduce the processing time needed to achieve an equivalent modification of organoleptic properties when compared to breathing processing time, the potential problem remains with aeration or breathing, to not have enough time to achieve optimal modification of organoleptic properties of the wine prior to consumption. For example, aeration for an hour may achieve the same organoleptic properties change as three hours of breathing; but an hour may still be too long to wait before the wine is meant to be consumed. However, the present invention is capable of being used to provide the photonic processing on a closed bottle of wine well in advance in order to prepare for the possibility of a consumer's selection of the processed bottle for immediate consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,614 to Peiffer describes a method and apparatus for improving the organoleptic properties of alcoholic beverages based upon exposure to a magnetic field. The usefulness of Peiffer's method and apparatus is toward the modification of an alcoholic beverages organoleptic properties that make the alcoholic beverage more appealing. However, Peiffer does not disclose an apparatus capable of modifying a Foodstuff with light. In addition, Peiffer does not disclose a method for modifying a Foodstuff with light.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,543,717 to Hinkle, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,614,614 Sabadicci describe the use of a Venturi type effect to modify the flavor of wine; but does not describe an apparatus capable of modifying a Foodstuff with light, and does not describe a method for modifying a Foodstuff with light.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,459 to Phelps describes a Nitrogen based preservation system with a light for illumination purposes so that a user is able to read the labels on the bottles, but does not describe an apparatus capable of modifying a Foodstuff with light, and does not describe a method for modifying a Foodstuff with light.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,386 to Douglas, U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,213 to Norris, U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,113 to Ditto, U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,084 to Sheryl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,355 to Dietz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,435 to Weller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,279 to Makowsky, U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,699 to Tipton, U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,068 to Menashrov, U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,411 to VanderSchuit, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,935 to VanderSchuit describe apparatus and methods useful for the illumination of Foodstuff; but does not describe an apparatus capable of modifying a Foodstuff with light, and does not describe a method for modifying a Foodstuff with light. VanderSchuit describes illuminating Foodstuff for the purpose of providing a visual effect. While the present invention illuminates wine, it is not a purpose of the present invention to provide a visual effect; for example in an alternate embodiment, the present invention achieves the desired results in an externally opaque chamber without any visual effects. VanderSchuit describes ultraviolet light highlighting a color corresponding to a flavor of the edible, such as a light highlighting an orange color associated with an orange flavored candy highlight, and a light highlighting a cherry-flavored candy piece which can be red. However, VanderSchuit does not describe a means nor a method by which the flavor of a LS-Foodstuff is modified by a controlled exposure to an effective wavelength range of light. In addition, VanderSchuit does not describe a controlled means nor a controlled method to modify the flavor of a Foodstuff to meet a consumers preference. VanderSchuit describes the use of ultraviolet light for highlighting an edible reactive to ultraviolet light to produce a visually stimulating effect. However, VanderSchuit does not describe the use of ultraviolet light to modify the flavor of an edible. In addition, VanderSchuit does not disclose an apparatus capable of modifying a Foodstuff with light. Furthermore, VanderSchuit does not disclose a method capable of modifying a Foodstuff with light.
There are instances when the set of previously known Foodstuff processing techniques are not capable of processing a red wine to meet a consumer's preferences. The prior art does not disclose the conditions under which the characteristics of wine are modified by the illuminated beverage container to meet the consumer preferences for a light-processed wine. On the contrary, the prior art describes an illuminating light neither intended nor capable of meeting a consumer's preferences for photonic wine processing. Whereas, the present invention discloses the intentional irradiation with a plurality of controlled light-sources of an LS-Foodstuff, including red wine, to irradiation conditions that are capable of processing an LS-Foodstuff to produce operator preferred results.
The present invention addresses some of the problems, inadequacies, and limitations of known wine processing techniques, including, limited breathing time and/or aeration time, by providing the novel wine processing techniques of a photonic beverage processor. The photonic beverage processor can be used independently or in combination with other known wine processing techniques to modify the characteristics of the wine. For example, depending on consumer preferences the photonic beverage processor can be used during the breathing process for decanted wine, and/or the photonic beverage processor can be used while the wine is in a bottle prior to the breathing process. The present invention provides vintners, distributors, and consumers, an additional benefit of changing a wines organoleptic properties, whether the wine is bottled or not bottled. In addition, the distinctly different processes of wine breathing and light-processing wine are not direct substitutes for each other, since the two processes do not modify the wine organoleptic properties in the exact same manner, and therefore do not necessarily produce results that meet the user preference to the same degree. The present invention helps to solve the problem of sub-optimal breathing time by creating conditions under which the wine's organoleptic properties are partially modified prior to the bottle being opened, thus reducing the time needed for the wine to breathe according to meet the consumers desired preference. The present invention does not make wine breathing redundant, but breathing is optional or partial breathing is optional when used with the present invention to meet the preferred results of an individual operator preferred results. Vintners use of colored bottles does not predict the present inventions use of controlled light-sources for a controlled sequence of exposure to a plurality of light-sources to meet the light-processing preferences of a light-processor operator intending to light-process wine to meet a consumers preferences. The present invention avoids the detrimental effects of light-strike by providing controlled conditions of exposure of wine to a controlled light-source responsive to operator control to meet the intended consumers preferences for photonic processing of Foodstuff including red wine. Creating the conditions for light-strike is not an intention of the present invention, except in the situation where the operator intensionally uses the present invention to do so. The present invention overcomes the limitations of the illuminated wine glass by providing suitable conditions that modify a wines organoleptic properties in a controlled manner set by an operator to substantially meet the preferences of the intended consumer(s).
While sunlight may change the organoleptic properties of LS-Foodstuffs, the use of sunlight in an uncontrolled or unintentional manner would create random results; where some of the random results were spoilage, and other random results were not significant, and where a small portion would represent an improvement that met a consumers preferences.
In conclusion, insofar as I am aware, no food and beverage processing apparatus previously developed provides the photonic processing of combinations of one or more LS-Foodstuffs including, but not limited to, red wine, liquor, coffee, and chocolate.